3 points in the bag, and out of europa league spot, which is always nice. very dull first half, but we soldier on. great goal from case

Could you imagine if reguillon, vini and Val were French how much sports would love them and making up all kind of reason to call them world class.

Ceballos had such a fantastic game, I'm happy for him. Thankfully he is good enough an athlete to put in this kind of defensive shift while still having a lot of technical abilities.

From 27% possession against Betis to 70% now

The key: Ceballos

Our last 4 goals have been scored by our midfielders. Doing much better supporting the frontline now. Up to the frontline now to put in better shifts. Particularly Lucas who you don't notice until he overruns the ball over and over. I wanted him when we were in terrible form, now that we're getting out of it, I'd like to see Brahim there

Good game finally, but let’s not get carried away. Midfield was very good. Probaly best game this year by midfield. Defense strong, what a difference Reguilon makes.

But front line still pathetic. Vinicius makes a lot happen, but can’t finish. Benz puts in the effort, but no results and Lucas plays as well as he can. It’s no wonder that goals are coming from midfield.

But looking at bigger picture, good win. Keeps us in CL position, which will keep Tito happy!

Players like Ceballos, Reguilon showing they belong.

halamadrid2 wrote:From 27% possession against Betis to 70% now

The key: Ceballos

I know you want to praise him but I trust you know that's not the reason why lol

Bill come off it even Benz scored a brace you still wouldn't be happy the team got 3 points and is still competing.

Gonna give it to Solari he has balls. first Isco now Marcelo. brave stuff.

Vini is electric all 90 minutes. great enrgy, great speed. his finish product is poor but i think it's because of his age. he is 18 after all.

Overall great win. steady the ship there is.

@Nick, Maybe not all due to him but a massive factor

Anyways wonder if Solari will have the balls to play the same line up against Girona midweek. Though not sure if this was just a one off with Modric or if he really is back. Would probably start Valverde in his stead. He'll be better of playing against Espanyol than Girona

halamadrid2 wrote:Anyways wonder if Solari will have the balls to play the same line up against Girona midweek. Though not sure if this was just a one off with Modric or if he really is back. Would probably start Valverde in his stead. He'll be better of playing against Espanyol than Girona

Wondering if Modric is back, would suggest that he's simply been off form. I don't think he has the legs to perform to this level on a regular basis anymore. The same can be said about our other veterans, as well. It's not as if their talent just got sucked inside a black hole. Their talent will always be there, but their legs and lungs have seen better days.

Of course Modric was not fit, he gased himself playing the world Cup for his country. With rest and physical work he is looking more and more like his normal self. This should not be surprising, thinking that he is finished is not smart, even at his age, he can perform at a very high level. If you help him buy into more rest in the season, that would extend his career even more.

Being 32 in modern sports is not old, not in football, not in tennis, NFL, NBA, etc... Players extend their primes nowadays well in their 30s.

32 is old, not because you're not good, but because of what is being demanded of you, and because of younger alternatives especially if you've been playing for the better part of ten years; you mathematically have less years left to do anything significant....its a young man's game and not everyone is maldini, Kareem Abdul jabbar et al who played into their 40s. Good game from modric btw. But yes in any sports at 30, smart players start getting their affairs and finances together

It isnt just about age but millage more than anything

Saw extended highlights because I was not gonna get up early for Madrid this season. Looks like the 2nd half was way better than the first. Also looks like Lucas had himself another shit match because he is a pretty below average footballer. And nice goal from Casemiro, how was his performance overall?

Casemiro along with Modric and Ceballos just crushed Sevilla. Machin lining up Banega Vasquez and Sarabia in midfield, was really dumb. Sevilla couldn't press our midfield at all so we rolled them.

Doc wrote:how was his performance overall?

Sevilla didn't put up a fight. They were dead offensively and strangely enough, allowed Madrid to camp in their own half.

It was more of them being terrible than us being scintillating. I would just be happy with the three points and I wouldn't draw any conclusions out of this game.

P.S: Even though Sevilla were dreadful, there are some positives to take out of this game, mainly:

1. Modric was monstrous.
2. Case played really well and scored a great goal.
3. Vinicius was a delight to watch, but again his end product is poor. Still young though so it's understandable.
4. Except for a few moments of selfishness and carelessness, Caballos played well and his work rate is something to be proud of.
5. Reguilon isn't nearly as effective as Marcelo offensively, but defensively he's way better than the Brazilian.

titosantill wrote:32 is old, not because you're not good, but because of what is being demanded of you, and because of younger alternatives especially if you've been playing for the better part of ten years; you mathematically have less years left to do anything significant....its a young man's game and not everyone is maldini, Kareem Abdul jabbar et al who played into their 40s. Good game from modric btw. But yes in any sports at 30, smart players start getting their affairs and finances together

It isnt just about age but millage more than anything

I don't know why you guys think a lot of the players are over hill, modric has at most has 2 elite seasons left in him that pretty good imo, so does bale and the rest from want I have seen this season quality isn't the problem, it's the attitude of the players from vets to the youngsters are not same page even now still, they need to ignore the noise about no cr or needing a new star narrative that marca trying to destabilize the team, we all know a mega signing is coming summer, the team just needs to come together stronger and put winning first not tricks and solo runs, it's looking a lot better now since solari is not hesitant to drop players like Marcelo and isco who haven't been pulling their weight for quite some time, this team has a lot of upside if the rest of the players get a chance.

Thought I read sometime last week that Vinicius had the best g+a per 90 in our team

He's 18. The end product will come. It's really the last part he need to add to his game. Can't wait to see how he and Rodrygo will fair together.

chad4401 wrote:

titosantill wrote:32 is old, not because you're not good, but because of what is being demanded of you, and because of younger alternatives especially if you've been playing for the better part of ten years; you mathematically have less years left to do anything significant....its a young man's game and not everyone is maldini, Kareem Abdul jabbar et al who played into their 40s. Good game from modric btw. But yes in any sports at 30, smart players start getting their affairs and finances together

It isnt just about age but millage more than anything

I don't know why you guys think a lot of the players are over hill, modric has at most has 2 elite seasons left in him that pretty good imo, so does bale and the rest from want I have seen this season quality isn't the problem, it's the attitude of the players from vets to the youngsters are not same page even now still, they need to ignore the noise about no cr or needing a new star narrative that marca trying to destabilize the team, we all know a mega signing is coming summer, the team just needs to come together stronger and put winning first not tricks and solo runs, it's looking a lot better now since solari is not hesitant to drop players like Marcelo and isco who haven't been pulling their weight for quite some time, this team has a lot of upside if the rest of the players get a chance.

2 elite seasons isn't a long term plan, 2 seasons goes away just like that. and once again with regards that term "elite", are we going to get la decima season elite-type modric or will it be one showing flashes of genius here and there. not to mention, what kind of contract will you have a player on for only 2 seasons

Bale; from what you've seen- may i ask, what have we seen from bale? what we've seen is flashes of brilliance ala ucl final last season and many trips to the medical facility. keeping that man here for two more years is an economic loss. the more he stays the less teams get interested in signing him because he is always injured. to be elite, you at least have to be on the pitch. bale isn't, and for someone who after the ucl final said he wanted to play more or he'll discuss his future with his agent, he is certainly not walking the walk, only if the walk is to the medics

sorry to break your heart, benzema from lyon is long gone, he packed his bags and left. the closest we got to that was the 2011/2012 season. marcelo too has had issues not only with positional awareness, but his age and his knees, and his offensive prowess cannot mask that anymore. i've given my take on isco elsewhere.

cibeles fountain is for title celebrations, its not a fountain of youth; flashes of brilliance is very different from elite level consistency.

zidane scored his first career hattrick at 33 yrs old, that equates to a flash of brilliance, however the season he was having up to that point was far from elite. and if you think how the veteran players have been playing so far this season equates to elite performances, then you really should channel your blood sweat and tears about isco in another direction

No coincidence our defense looked better with a Left back who can defend. That’s about 90% of the reason we won tonight.

Freeza wrote:Thought I read sometime last week that Vinicius had the best g+a per 90 in our team

He's 18. The end product will come. It's really the last part he need to add to his game. Can't wait to see how he and Rodrygo will fair together.

the end product, the technique, is the most difficult part to learn and yes it takes time. speed, dribbling, flashy stuff, that's what kids know. in almost every sport that's the main attraction to kids and that's what they pick up on first. the technique comes with training in the right environment and football brain development.

what that kid doesn't need right now is unnecessary pressure to save a team of grown men with beards and an environment where he cannot pick up on good lifestyle and sporting habits. its too early to ask too much of him....

I stopped hating Tito from that one post. Lovely but absolutely unnecessary reply.

titosantill wrote:
what that kid doesn't need right now is unnecessary pressure to save a team of grown men with beards and an environment where he cannot pick up on good lifestyle and sporting habits. its too early to ask too much of him....

i disagree with this part because it depends on one's personality. Vinicius looks just fine trying to play hero ball, dribbling and running down the pitch to create chances. he actually looks like he wants that spotlight

Completely different from Asensio saying it's not his job to lift the team

Asensio wasn't wrong in saying that. He was honest enough to admit that he has limitations and that he's in no way a savior or the kind of players that the team should turn to when the night is darkest. He also meant that before people start blaming him for not scoring regularly, they should look at the main goalscorers of the team who are misfiring instead of laying the blame on him;  a guy who never was a reliable goalscorer to begin with.

I completely agree with tito here, Madrid should really be careful and not put a lot of pressure on Vini. He's talented but raw. He shouldn't be expected to score a truckload of goals nor should we blame him when he doesn't score.

Again, this is all the result of poor planning from the management, putting too much expectations that far exceed the talent of some players (Asensio).

You make it sound like Solari tells Vinicius to carry the team during his team talk, or Perez calls Vinicius in the middle of the night and tells him a better score goals lmao

RM do not put pressure on kids, pressure is born out of the environment the club finds itself in, the fans, the expectations. I would be shocked if Solari is not telling all these young players to go have fun out there lol

what the club will control is whether Vinicius plays or not. Are you saying that we should protect him by keeping him on the bench? lol, i dont think so. Sink or Swin, it's hard to play for Madrid; when you get that chance you dont let it go.

And Asension was a p***y for saying what he said. That's how you identify beta mentalities. It doesnt matter whether it was true or not, you dont say stupid shit like that. Irrational confidence >>>>